Jintana’s family continues search for justice after execution-style murder

PHUKET: As the one-year anniversary of the execution-style murder of Jintana Mahattanapak approaches, her family seeks to meet with Phuket’s new top cop for help in a case that appears to have gone cold.

Ms Jintana, a human resources director at the time of her murder, was shot coming home from work on January 18 (story here).

Police initially believed that the incident was a revenge killing connected to staff who had been fired.

“She was a strict person at work… so some employees at the hotel lost their jobs. In one incident, she had to fire some employees because they were found cheating their employer. This probably caused her murder,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Arun Kleawwatee said in January last year.

Ms Jintana’s family identified a second possible suspect, telling police that a “suspicious man” had viewed Ms Jintana’s body at Vachira Phuket Hospital. The family provided police with the license plate number of the man.

Neither lead appears to have panned out yet.

“We met with former Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat last August, and since then, we’ve gotten no updates about the case,” said Winyoo Mahattanapak, Jintana’s husband (story here).

“Our family would like to meet with Phuket Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont. My wife’s relatives are spread out across Thailand, so we have to figure out when everyone is free to come to Phuket.

“However, I want the meeting to be as soon as possible. I want justice for my wife,” he said.

— Saran Mitrarat